10 Movie Characters Destined To Be Killed Off

You can simply smell it in the air sometimes, can’t you?

Maybe a star central to a franchise is getting on in years or has become embroiled in some scandal that makes their presence problematic for the fandom. Maybe the character has simply survived too much, and their continued resilience will see them slip from unflappably indestructible to unintentionally funny “Rambo punching through people’s skulls” territory. Maybe it’s simply time to say goodbye to an important villain in order to make way for a greater threat, or to drop a team member in order to underscore that this time, the stakes are higher than ever.

Whatever the reason, every once in a while we’re introduced to a movie character who you just know deep in your bones will eventually end up offed, and here at WhatCulture we’re not above partaking in a fictional character death pool. So whilst we’re happy to be proven wrong (we have to say that before any prediction, lest we be laughed at after we guess wrong), here are ten characters who are destined to die off sooner than later, as well as the reason we’re so sure of their eventual fate.

Let's start with a doozie. And yes, this one is a controversial guess, but hear us out.

It's fair to say that there was a pretty, er, divided reaction to 2008’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull—you know, divided between those who liked Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf’s campy contributions and hated the rest of the flick, and everyone else who hated the film completely.

But 2021 will reportedly nonetheless see the franchise rise once again with ageing star Harrison Ford donning his iconic hat and whip as the titular absentee professor/ adventurer and accidental hero. However, recent reports suggest that the helmer responsible for the franchise thus far, little known indie filmmaker Steven Spielberg, is out of the director’s chair for this latest instalment. Who is being touted as his replacement?

Why, none other than James Mangold—if that name sounds familiar, it’s probably because the journeyman helmer was most recently seen ushering Wolverine into permanent retirement with the elegiac Logan, meaning he has serious pedigree putting ageing action heroes out to pasture.

Maybe the choice is a coincidence, but we can’t help feeling that Mangold might be readying himself to Old Yeller yet another older hero whose time has come to hang up his hat.